An Audino Emergency
by Nigel Yearning
Summary: Undead Nightmare: Nimbasa City fell to the zombie apocalypse. Separated from her friends, one Audino struggled to make her way to safety while juggling a troubled conscious: A secret relationship that, if word got out, could change the way friends and acquaintances view her.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_I_

She ran as fast as she could, but her legs weren't made for running. The Audino didn't dare slow down. Those things were right behind her, growling and moaning foul death. The world around her bombarded her ears, every scream, every moan, every explosion signaled another death. People and Pokémon everywhere were fighting those things head on. But it was futile. All of Unova was under siege. Nowhere to go, but lots of places to hide. All she had to do was find one.

Hipp took a moment to catch her breath, her legs burning with fatigue. Her own heartbeat pounded relentlessly against her ears. Never before where she had heard her own pulse with such ferocity. She hoped it won't be the last thing she would hear. Hipp gulped and looked back down the alley. She'd lost them, but they would be back. The Walkers won't give up, never give up. Hunger was all they knew. They won't stop till they eat her alive kicking and screaming. Worst of all, they had no feelings. No pulse or heartbeat, nothing functional except a faulty nervous system, and the bacteria that was eating them from the inside out.

_Gotta keep moving_, Hipp thought, _can't stop now_.

The Audino emerged from the alley and looked down the street, fresh blood covered the pavement like spilled paint. Store windows smashed, stripped clean by looters. Blood prints coated their frame from something climbing through. A dead body laid flat on the road, looked kinda like a young male with dark hair wearing a red sweater and blue jeans. It looked like it hadn't been there for 5 minutes. Hipp felt her instincts and training take over, she rushed up to the body and pressed her curled ear lobe against its back.

Nothing. No vital signs, no breathing. Simply nothing. Hipp turned the body on its back, she found two thin holes in his chest. Right over the heart. Cleanly done with a hunting knife or something. Hipp's hands shook as she tried to do chest compressions, knowing it was futile.

_ No_, she thought, _he's dead. Someone killed him. Why would they kill him?_

That was when she felt something.

The body twitched. Hipp jumped back and watched as the corpse sat up, and opened its eyes. They were red, bright florescent red. Filled with nothing but hunger and death. It turned to Hipp and snarled, its breath smelled rotten with decay and bad dental hygiene. The Audino screamed and ran as the corpse shot a clumsy arm at her.

_Walker_, she thought, _Another Walker!_

The Walker moaned as it got to its feet to give chase. Hipp panicked, taking off down the street without further caution. She didn't know what to do. No idea where to go. The Pokémon Center was overrunned and Nurse Joy and the other Audinos were-

_I shouldn't have left them_, Hipp thought, _I shouldn't have left them behind, what have I done!?_

All around her the Undead closed in. They came out of the broken buildings, dripping drool and blood from their mouths. Some looked like they just finished off a kill, their craving for living flesh still unsatisfied. Hipp watched as the former humans stretched out their arms and moaned. She spun around, they had her surrounded. Nowhere left to run. Hipp pant hard, her heart running into the red zone. Wondering if this was it. No, it shouldn't. It shouldn't!

_There!_

The door to an apartment building was wide open, the building was 15 stories tall and stretching for what seemed like the entire block. The Audino had been in the apartment complex before, while doing checkups on sick Pokémon. She knew several Pokémon trainers who lived there, and they know her. Well, barely know her. Pokémon trainers never really pay attention to the personalities of individual Audinos.

Hopefully there were still someone home.

Hipp ran for the door, barely dodging a Walker making a mad grab for her. The horde squeezed together, unintentionally blocking all other exits. With no time to lose, Hipp ran into the apartment building and slammed the door shut. She locked the door and pushed a heavy trash can behind it. The Undead pound hard against the door, trying to break through. It wasn't going to hold, Hipp had to get out of there and find a place to rest.

The apartment complex's main hallway had wooden and plaster walls, with thin red carpet. The air still had that hotel smell, the ventilation system was still going. Hipp made it to the main lobby, a wide open space with a marble reception desk, leather chairs, and imitation artwork. An HDTV mounted on a wall was on, it beeped and squealed the Emergency Broadcast System. Was it tuned to a news network? Hipp didn't care at the moment, she needed to get off the first floor. Going up was the way to go.

She head towards three elevators at the edge of the lobby. They were all at floor level with the doors open. Hipp ran in and pressed the button to go up. Nothing. Someone must had shut it down. No matter, the emergency stairwell would do. Hipp head over to the stairs and shut the fireproof door behind her. Since the Walkers knew she was here, she wanted to cover her tracks as best as possible. No way of telling how long that side door was open, any Walker might had wandered inside, hiding out somewhere. Waiting to strike anything coming its way. Hipp kept her ears perked, so far no signs of life. She crept up the stairs, trying to keep pace. Hipp commanded her already strained legs to give it all they got into each step, she got as far as the 5th floor when the lights started flickering.

_Oh no._

Hipp pushed her way into the 5th floor hallway. Several lights remained fixed, though the flickering wasn't a good sign. The power grid was failing, were those things attacking the station? Probably anything with life was under attack. Hipp ran down the hall and checked the apartment numbers, she wondered if anyone was home. Had to be, there was no sign of a mass panic downstairs. So they probably hadn't left. Just hunkering down, waiting it out. But the front door being wide open was not a good sign, it gnawed on her hope that she would find someone who could help her.

A jet wailed overhead, Hipp wondered if the military was coming in to safe the day maybe-

_BOOM!  
_A blast of hot air knock Hipp off-balance from behind, as she fell to the floor she felt the floor give way. Hipp screamed as the floor cave in, she tumbled in circles down to the 4th floor till she hit her head into something hard. Her vision blackened, and the world receded into a fading echo.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_II_

_ Four__ days earlier..._

_ "Hipp," _a voice called out, _"Hipp, you there?"_

Hipp broke her concentration and turned around, it was Petri with a smile stretching across her face, _"Going to have a busy day today, please don't doze off this time."_

Hipp nodded, _"Okay, Petri."_

The two Audinos gazed into each others eyes, glistening from the florescent lighting of the Pokémon Center. Hipp took Petri by the hand and asked, _"So how are you doing today, Petri?"_

_ "Good, Hipp," _she replied, _"so far no serious cases for three days straight, today's a good day."_

_ "And a good week."_ Hipp added.

Petri smiled, _"Yeah, friend. Who knows, we might have more free time today."_

As far as Hipp could remember, she knew Petri since they were born. They both went to medical school together and learned all they could to become Pokémon doctors. By sheer accident, the two developed "feelings" with each other the moment they first met. They try to fight it at first, they knew it wasn't right, since they were both female and public opinion was shaky on the idea of _this _kind of relationship. Hipp knew it was a medical condition, once considered a mental disease. Maybe still was. Despite these challenges, the two eventually fell in love, and the night before graduation was so spectacular Hipp get warm fuzzy feelings each time she thought back at it.

_How messed up that was. _Hipp thought with a smile.

The two kept it a secret as best as they could, the other Audinos weren't aware of the true nature of their relationship. Their cover was that they were sisters, which was almost true, since they were both distant relatives. Sharing a great-grandparent, or was that a great-great grandparent? Hipp wasn't sure. Audinos can read the vital signs of Pokémon, tell what they're feeling and such. So Hipp and Petri trained themselves to love as _sisters_, instead of partners. So far the cover worked, the other Audinos were none the wiser, but one had suspicions about their relationship. Femur, a fellow co-worker and close friend, caught them on occasion hugging each other and holding hands in an "unusual" way. If he already figured that Hipp and Petri were gay, he hadn't said anything about it. Rumors spread so fast in a Pokémon Center that the record time of exposing a secret was 5 seconds.

_"Maybe we should ask for a vacation," _Hipp said, _"get away from it all for a while."_

_ "Nurse Joy can't understand a word we say and you know it."_

_ "Petri, we're both are masters at charades, I think we can pull it off."_

Petri sighed, _"Okay, so if we got permission, where would we go? The park's too open, and town's just too compact. Nowhere we could go without being ourselves," _then she added, "_We're still young, Hipp, I don't wanna wait till retirement."_

_ "Me neither, but you know how it is."_

The room went silent.

_"Okay," _said Petri, _"but let me pick out where to go. I know Nimbasa City like the back of my hand and I know all the places where people and Pokémon alike don't wander to. We would have all the time in the world."_

_"And we all have sensitive ears." _said a voice.

Hipp and Petri jumped, Femur stood at the door leaning against the frame, _"You know we get paid for our services? Nurse Joy don't want us to know, but I know where the money goes. I can go to the Bank of Nimbasa and get your account information. I was there when Nurse Joy made it, played dumb so she wouldn't suspect anything. If you go on vacation, you got yourself some cash to spend on food and such."_

_ "How long were you standing there?" _Hipp asked, still in shock.

_"Just now," _said Femur, _"Gals, if you want a vacation so badly, you can just ask Nurse Joy. You built up a lot of vacation time. Sooner or later you wanna call it in, and now is the best time to do it. This week's going slow, not too many Pokémon are going to get hurt this month."_

Hipp and Petri just stared at him.

_"Look," _said Femur, _"the others are wondering what's eating you, but they haven't brought it up because your feeling are periodic. Usually in a cycle, a predictable one. I never question what you two do while you're alone, but I can tell what's really going on when you aren't," _then he dropped the bomb, _"I'd taken classes about romance during medical school, how love works and all that. I can tell when someone's hiding it. The other Audinos, and even Nurse Joy, can't see it. But to me, you're literally radiating love like a superheated furnace."_

Femur peaked into the hallway to see if anyone's out there listening, then turned back to Hipp and Petri, _"I know you two aren't really sisters, you're just using that excuse to cover the real thing."_

Petri and Hipp gasped, caught with their pants down and their thumbs up their asses.

_ "H-How long did you know?" _Hipp stammered.

_"Since the day I first met you too."_

Petri gripped her head and glanced out the window, _"We're blown! We're blown! We're blown! It's over!"_

So Femur did know what was up, longer than Hipp and Petri thought. She felt like was caught in the open, exposed in the spotlight. Hipp felt her heart breaking up inside, the impending embarrassment was getting in.

_"Did you tell anyone?" _Hipp asked.

_"No," _said Femur, _"Why should I? If everyone here had taken those love classes in medical school, they would've figured it out by now. Look, I know you're scared in all but it ain't something to be ashamed about. I'm your friend, and friends help each other. Besides, having such a burden bottled up inside would hinder your performance. So far I'm seeing no sign of that, but I'm coming to you now because you two got to that point where you can't bear to hide it anymore. Your hearts are screaming it so loud, I can hear it at the other side of the Pokémon Center."_

Petri turned to Femur, _"What should we do?"_

_ "What do _you_ want to do?"_

Hipp and Petri looked at each other, both no longer sure of their reputation. Femur knew all this time, but kept it to himself, and still would keep it to himself. They both got off lucky, for now. If Femur was true to his word, then he might cover for them. If word does got out about their relationship, Femur might do his best to limit whatever damage was done. Nurse Joy would be in the dark, she would know nothing for some time. If at best, Nurse Joy should know about it before the other Audinos do.

With that thought in mind, they turned to Femur, _"What would Nurse Joy do if she found out?"_

_ "I don't know," _said Femur, _"whatever it is I don't think she would scold you two or anything. Remember, I'm here for you. I'll help you guys no matter what."_

Hipp and Petri gave Femur a big hug, _"Thank you!" _they cried in unison, _"I knew I could trust you!"_

_ "Tonight," _said Femur, _"go somewhere in the Pokémon Center and have your privacy. Somewhere where nobody would pass by to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom. You two deserved it," _just before Femur left, he added, _"I'll make a distraction, one that doesn't disturb you guys but sure keep the others busy."_

As Femur left the room, Hipp and Petri looked at each other. Big smiles stretching across their faces. Looks like tonight, they'll have a personal party. They giggled at the thought.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

_**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**_

_III_

_Day __Two__ of the Zombie Outbreak, __6__:30PM_

Her ears rang as she slowly regain consciousness. Hipp's eyes fluttered open as she felt waterfall pelt her back. It was cold, so chilly that it numbed her skin. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a living room that had detached from the rest of an apartment, sitting on an angle while getting ready to sink. Everything was tipped back, the TV smashed, furniture overturned. The place was inhabitable, broken beyond repair.

Hipp looked up, something chewed a mammoth-sized hole into the apartment building. Three floors were partially destroyed, the hole so massive she could see the sky outside. It was turning orange, heading around sunset. How long had she been out? Hipp shivered as the waterfall bit into her like a drill. She crawled out of the waterfall and peered up. A water main had broke, it poured cold water into the destroyed apartment which flowed down the slope of the living room, down to the destroyed apartment below. Hipp's teeth chattered, she needed to get out. She climbed up the living room floor and crawled onto the undamaged part of the apartment, she pulled herself up and sat down before getting the full extent of the damage.

The water had soaked everything, loose wires swung freely through the wind. Giving off small sparks when it bumped into debris. Hipp gulped, water and electricity don't mix. If that water main keeps dumping water, it bound to contact a loose wire and start an electrical fire.

_Fire_, Hipp thought, _Not good! I gotta find the circuit breaker!_

The Audino climbed back to her feet, she shivered feverishly as she made her way toward the front door. There. The circuit box was mounted next to the front door, Hipp opened up the panel door and pulled the main switch. Several lights went out, expose wires gave out their last mighty spark before fizzling into silence. With the power off, Hipp could roam around the accessible parts of the apartment without fear of electrocution.

The bathroom survived, it sat next to the destroyed living room. It looked level, no sign that the explosion broke it. Hipp walked in and found a towel to dry herself off. After drying herself the best she could, Hipp tossed it aside and tried to turn on the sink. Nothing. Oh, of course. The water main's broken. She didn't have the desire to go back down the destroyed living room to get a drink of water. Instead, Hipp pulled off the cover to the toilet's reservoir tank. She dipped her hand in and gulped a fistful of water. She was very thirsty, and embarrassed. That was the only time she was glad nobody's around.

When she put the cover back on, Hipp felt her belly grumbled. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. The Audino sobbed, thinking about the delicious Pokémon food she used to eat back at the Pokémon Center. The food was so good, so regular, she couldn't remember being hungry. She'd forgotten what hunger felt, she thought it was just feeling rumples in her tummy. No, it felt her stomach was being crushed, threatening to turn inside out.

_My belly hurts._ She thought as she grabbed her stomach. The pain was so unbearable her priorities changed from safety to food.

Hipp left the bathroom and went to the kitchen, the cabinets were wide open. Most of the food pulled out, any leftovers were rejected and tossed in the trashcan. The Audino opened up the fridge, without power its light bulb failed to come on. Inside was a carton of orange juice. Hipp felt guilty raiding a stranger's fridge, but to the looks of the apartment, it seemed that nobody would live here again.

She grabbed the orange juice and chugged it down her throat, the orange juice tasted a little too sweet. Hipp coughed and put the orange juice back, she wiped her mouth with her wrist and checked the fridge for any food. There was a block of cheese, white cheddar to the looks. Hipp picked it up and smelled it. It was awful. She threw it in the trash can in disgust, _Nothing yummy? _

Her belly growled again, Hipp shut the fridge and sniffled as her other thoughts took over. Petri was gone. Nurse Joy was gone. All her friends, gone. The whole world under siege by the Walkers, who used to be people and Pokémon, but no more. Nothing left but mindless husks, who, they too, are hungry. Hipp left the kitchen and stared at the maw, it seemed impossible that she crashed into the floor below.

_Did it have to do with that jet I heard earlier? _

Yes, probably so. The pilot might had decided to target the building since it could be full of Walkers. If that's the case, then they would be back. Hipp had to get outta here, somehow avoiding the Undead along the way. She knew a few moves she could use, but those things were highly resistant to such attacks. Pound might be useful, assuming she could land a critical hit to their skull.

The thought of killing anything shook her to the core. She was built down to the genes to heal people and Pokémon, not kill them. But they were already dead, they won't feel it. Hipp's heart ached. After seeing what those things done to Sternum...

_Don't think about him, Hipp_, she told herself, _there was nothing you could do._

Nothing she could do...

Without warning, the living room tore itself away from the rest of the apartment and sank into the floor below. Hipp watched in horror as part of the building collapsed. Dust and water pelt her face as a section of the building collapsed, she turned towards the door and tried to open it. Locked. She unlocked the door and ran out into the hall. The ceiling lights flicker madly, not a good sign. A section of the hallway buckled and gave way, Hipp staggered back as she watched part of the building implode before her.

_This place is falling apart, I gotta get outta here!_

Hipp turned around and ran for the other end of the hall, she wondered into a mini lobby and made her way to another emergency stairwell. The Audino barged open the fireproof door and made her way down. More lights started flickering. She kept a steady pace as she ran back down for the first floor, Hipp rushed up to the door to the stairwell and opened it...

…and found a zombie horde packed shoulder to shoulder inside it.

Hipp slammed the fireproof door shut before they noticed her, _Wrong way!_

With the way to the first floor block, Hipp was running out of options. She went back up a flight of stairs and walked to the first floor, the ceiling at the other end of the hallway was caved in. No way through there. Hipp frantically looked around for another means of escape.

_How about the balconies_, she thought, _I could always find a ladder down_.

A section of the ventilation system gave way at the middle of the hallway, concentrated heat blasted out of the downed ducts and set the walls ablaze. Hipp felt the trapped heat on her face. Time was running out, the whole place was burning down to its frames, _"I gotta get out of here," _she thought out loud, _"I don't wanna die!"_

Hipp ran up to a random apartment door and kicked it open, she ran inside and found blood smeared all over the floor and walls. The blood looked fresh, something bled out not too long ago. Bloody hand prints of a human marked some of the doors, a lampshade was knocked over and crushed. A trash can was tossed over. Hipp peaked inside, it was filled with blood-soaked gauze. Had someone got bit? If so, then they were somewhere in the apartment. Hiding. Hipp had no interest in looking for that person, something told her the guy had turned.

The lights flickered one last time, then went dark. Hipp made her way through the darkened apartment towards the balcony, she slid the sliding glass door wide open and stepped out. It was a small alley, there was a ladder that leads down to ground level. A way out. Hipp peaked down the alley and checked for any Walkers. There were none in the vicinity. Okay, she found a way out. If she could get down to ground level, she could make her way to the street and make her way out of Nimbasa City. That's the plan. Hipp hoped she could find someone once she got out, she was dying of desolation.

She heard something moan behind her. Hipp turned. The Audino let out a scream as a Walker came out of the darkness of the apartment. It was teenager, a Pokémon trainer to the looks of him. His skin was pale, though not yet showing signs of decay. His clothes were torn and covered with his own blood. Hipp saw what killed him: A large bite on the side, covered with bloody gauze. How many rolls of gauze had this kid went through? It didn't look like they done him any good.

Hipp shot up her hands and grabbed the Walker by the neck as it grabbed her by the shoulders. She was amazed at its strength, the Walker had clamped onto her good. It growled and moaned mournful wails as it tried to bite a chunk off her shoulder. Hipp screamed, she kicked the Walker in the chest to free herself. No dice, he was too strong.

_Gotta do something_, she thought, _Something!_

An idea popped into her head.

She breathed in and hit the Walker with Takedown. The Walker staggered back as Hipp gained some ground, she held out her hands and a dark purple ball formed between them. It was Shadow Ball, a ghost-type move. Kinda more appropriate if used _by _the Undead. She had learned this special move accidentally while in medical school, while going through a few books in the school's library. According to that book, it does quite some damage to the target and making it less able to defend itself. She had done Shadow Ball twice, the most recent just 6 months ago when someone broke into the Pokémon Center in an attempt to steal medical supplies. Hipp accidentally took out part of the wall, which earned her a tongue lashing from the maintenance guy. She regretted it ever since.

Without hesitation, Hipp hurled the Shadow Ball at the Walker. The ball struck the Walker in the head, Hipp heard something snap as the Walker flew back inside. It landed on the floor with its limps spread out. Hipp stared at it for a moment, panting deep breaths. It didn't move, it wasn't getting back up anytime soon.

_I gotta get outta here_. The Audino thought for the hundredth time, she turned towards the ladder and got on it. Then began climbing her way back down.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

_**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**_

_IV_

_Hour 11 of the Zombie Outbreak..._

Hipp and Petri stared at the TV, Femur fiddled with the remote while Aorta and Sternum to themselves. Tryke sat in the corner, as usual, he didn't speak a word of what's happening. Something was wrong, every one of them could feel it in their chests.

"It's been going on since last night," Nurse Joy spoke into the videophone to Officer Jenny, "what do you know, Jen?"

"Random acts of mauling by drunks," said Officer Jenny, "Drunks with glowing red eyes, they always said red eyes. So far the police contained the accident, but expect to get some victims into your Pokémon Center. I don't know what's going on, but my Herdier is acting up over here. How are your Audinos?"

"They're scared, they feel something coming. Are you sure you got things under control?"

"Positive, we're pulling every officer we can find into the matter. You can-"

"Officer Jenny?" said a voice.

Officer Jenny turned aside, "Yes, Trent?"

"We need you fast, something's happening."

"Fine then," she turned back to Nurse Joy, "I gotta go, Joy, I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Take care, Jenny." said Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy ended the call, it would be the last call she would ever make.

Hipp turned to Petri, _"I'm scared, Petri, what's happening out there?"_

_ "I have no idea, friend," _said Petri, _"all I know is that I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, sometime around midnight. How did you sleep last night?"_

Hipp shivered, _"I . . . I had nightmares, scarey ones. I don't want to talk about it."_

_ "I heard you scream in your sleep, I went to check on you and you were alright. I think it was a night terror or something. Don't worry, Hipp, I got your back."_

_ "And my tail?"_

Petri nodded, _"And your tail."_

Femur stared at the TV, watching as the news anchor talk about how the city council was doing to stop the wave of attacks happening in the city. So far their district wasn't touched, but that won't last long. The riots of strange folks were pushing their way south towards them, a part of Hipp wondered how could the Pokémon Center withstand so many casualties coming through. So many wounds to treat, so many herbs to give. Why did all of a sudden, people started attacking each other for no reason at all? This city hadn't had a single murder in 40 years, and without warning, several people got killed by strangers!? Hipp sighed, it's going to be a long day.

_"__Hipp, Petri," _said Femur, _"Can I speak with you for a moment?"_

The duo looked at each other for a moment, then turned to Femur, _"Okay." _they replied.

They followed Femur in the back, Femur drew the blinds and asked Hipp to shut the door, _"Okay," _he said, _"I'm paranoid all the way to the coast. I got a feeling this ain't going to go away anytime soon."_

_ "What do you mean?" _Petri asked.

Femur turned to Petri, _"Can you feel it, Petri? Can you feel it gnaw on your bones, imprinting a bizarre feeling of horror and confusion __that's marrow deep__?"_

Petri nodded, _"I can't shake it."_

_ "And you're not going to," _said Femur, _"This thing that's happening . . . Our Pokémon Center will be at the front lines, we're going to be overwhelmed. Whatever harmed those patients, I have no doubt they'll bring it in."_

Femur sighed and said, _"Look, girls. We've all sworn an oath to help the sick and injured Pokémon. But we all know that not everyone can be saved, if this Pokémon Center get's filled to overcapacity or there's a riot at our front door. That's a sign telling you to get out."_

_ "Femur!" _cried Hipp and Petri in unison.

_"We can't help them all and you know that, we would become part of the problem than the solution. Do you realize how vital our lives are to society? If we can't perform our duties in this crisis, then we can't. I'm not risking my life doing an impossible task."_

_ "__All Pokémon Centers are connected for this emergency!"_ Petri insisted.

_ "And this emergency is _global_," _Femur added, _"I'm sorry, you girls. I'm telling you two personally about this is because I know you will take it seriously. I kept your secret without fail, but now we got a more impending danger. You love each other, right?"_

_ "Yes." _they both say.

_"Well, you gotta make some sacrifices to save the other. Look, I'm packing my things. I'm grabbing all the medical supplies I can and bugging out. Nurse Joy would have my cap for this but she can have it, I'm not going to spent time jabbing a ticking time bomb with a stick, __I'm bailing out.__"_

_ "Where you heading?" _Hipp asked.

_"There's a smaller Pokémon Center up north, I'm going to stay there for a while and wait for you guys if you decide to leave. If you're not there by day three at noon, __I'm heading off to the countryside where I'm going to take permanent shelter with whoever I found along the way in an isolated farm. I'll leave you a note where to go at that Center, hopefully this thing won't swallow you up along with Nimbasa City."_

Hipp and Petri gave Femur a hug, _"Take care, friend. I just hope you're not making a big mistake."_

_ "If that's the case," _Femur says, _"then we're all screwed regardless."_

When Femur left the room, Petri turned to Hipp, _"What do we do, Hipp?"_

_ "I don't know, Petri," _said Hipp, _"If Femur's going to take shelter till this thing blows over, then we should go with him. But that means leaving our friends to fend for themselves. I don't want to leave them."_

_ "And I don't want Nurse Joy being mad," _said Petri, _"I wonder what the other Nurse Joy would do in that other Pokémon Center."_

Hipp and Petri pressed each other's foreheads together and savor the moment, then looked into each others eyes, _"If we ever get separated," _said Hipp, _"we go to that other Pokémon Center and find Femur, okay?"_

_ "Once there," _said Petri, _"we should open up on our relationship. I just don't want to handle this burden underneath a more serious problem."_

Hipp thought for a moment, _"I can't handle the secret anymore, but now's not the time to tell. Maybe when things calm down."_

_ "Agreed."_

Both Audinos hugged each other and kissed, they held it for a second then let go, _"I love you, Petri." _said Hipp.

_"I love you too, Hipp."_

Nurse Joy's screams broke the moment, "No," she cried, "Get away! AHHH, help!"

Hipp and Petri burst out of the room and rushed back to the lobby, just in time to see Aorta, one of their close friends, use Takedown on a human being. Just before they asked what happened, they saw the gray skin . . . and the eyes.

_It's not human! _Hipp screamed in her head.

The creature hit its head against the corner of a coffee table, it's skull burst open and black blood burst out. It hissed its death moan as it went limp. Tryke, ran behind a couch and hid. Hipp and Petri just froze in place.

_"Oh no," _Aorta cried, she grabbed her ears and pulled hard on them, "_what have I done!?"_

_ "What happened!?" _Petri asked.

_"Some guy just ran into the Pokémon Center and attacked Nurse Joy but..." _Aorta couldn't finish, the shock was too much.

_ "Nurse Joy," _Sternum cried, _"No, no please, no!"_

He rushed over to Nurse Joy, the thing had bitten her on the neck. Blood pooled around her as she laid still, her nurse cap had fallen off and was tossed aside. Her limp bloody hand barely clamping over the bite, but applying no pressure to it. Hipp and Petri looked at each other in shock before glancing back at the scene, _"No, don't!" _Sternum cried, he got on top of Nurse Joy and start doing chest compressions, _"You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay! We'll patch you up! We'll-"_

_ "Sternum," _said Petri, _"she's gone."_

_ "No," _Sternum cried, _"we can save her, we can stitch this up!"_

Aorta still stared at the creature that bit their nurse, Hipp walked up her and asked, _"You okay?"_

_ "I didn't mean to kill him." _she muttered, her eyes still fixed to the corpse.

Hipp did a quick scan over the body, _"The skin's rotted," _she said, _"Look, there's a bite on the arm. It's necrotic."_

Aorta turned to Hipp, _"What are you saying?"_

_ "He died from the bite, I think you've killed something that came back."_

_ "People just don't get back up after they die!"_

_ "Aorta," _said Petri calmly, _"getting worked up on it isn't going to help. We gotta do something."_

_ "I'm already doing something!" _Sternum insisted, still doing chest compressions.

Hipp just shook her head, she walked up to Sternum and grabbed him by the shoulder, _"Sternum, she's gone. We can't save her."_

Sternum knocked Hipp's hand away, _"The f*ck we can't."_

Realizing he just cursed, he broke down in tears. Tryke silently crept up to him and helped him up, he hugged Sternum as he cried into his shoulder. Aorta calmed down enough and looked around the room, _"Where's Femur?" _she asked.

Hipp and Petri said nothing.

_"Tryke?"_

Tryke just looked at her and shrugged.

Aorta ran across the lobby to the back and cried, _"Femur, where are you!?"_

Petri jogged over to the window and looked outside, _"I don't see anyone outside, our district's deserted!"_

_ "Should we call Officer Jenny?" _Hipp asked.

_"She's all tied up right now!" _Sternum cried.

_"Well, we gotta figure out a plan. Do we know of anyone we could call?"_

_ "Nurse Joy handles all that, we don't know sh*t!" _

Aorta came back to the lobby, her eyes wide open, _"Femur's gone!"_

_ "What?" _Petri asked, trying to sound surprised.

_"He's gone, and a bunch of our medical supplies is missing," _Aorta held out a nurse cap, _"I found his cap on his bed, I think he left!"_

_ "Why would he do that!?" _Sternum cried.

_"Cause we have no plan," _said Hipp, _"He must had found out about something and decide to bail. Look, we gotta follow him!"_

Aorta sat the cap on the desk, _"Any idea where he's heading?"_

_ "North probably," _Petri said, _"Lots of forests there."_

Sternum pushed Tryke away, _"So we just leave, what about the Pokémon who needs help!?"_

_ "There ain't much we can do without Nurse Joy," _said Hipp, _"and there's going to be a _lot _of them. They're going to swarm us, Sternum, and we're going to be overwhelmed."_

Sternum shook his head, _"You're right, but . . . but that goes against the very oath we swore upon!"_

_ "We're just pulling up roots and moving out."_

_ "This is crazy!"_

Sternum glanced out the window, the lobby held its breath for a moment, _"Screw it," _he said, _"let's pack what we can carry and get outta here. I can't believe we're doing this."_

Petri turned to Tryke, _"Tryke, shut off the power and utilities, then close all the blinds. I'll lock the doors."_

Tryke nodded and rush off for the task.

Hipp stared at Nurse Joy's body, her skin was starting to become pale. She shook her head and sighed, _Femur pulled a smart move after all. _She thought but didn't say.

_"Hipp," _said Petri, _"help me with this."_

Hipp rushed behind the reception desk and grabbed the keys, she then rejoined Petri and stuck it in a keyhole of the gate controls. She gave it a twist. Shutters came down over the outer doors and locked in place.

_"That's not going to hold a riot." _said Petri.

_"But it's going to buy us some time." _said Hipp.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

_**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**_

_V_

_Day 2 of the Zombie Outbreak, 7:12PM_

The screams had stopped, nothing but the moans of hungry Undead. Hipp was tired, she broke into an office building and covered her tracks. The glow of the streetlamps outside provide little comfort, their light shined through the windows as Hipp crept past the cubicles. She kept her ears perked, so far she heard no suspicious noise anywhere in the building. But she couldn't be sure, Walkers were sometimes so quiet that not even the most sensitive ear could pick them up. Maybe they were lying still, waiting for stimulus. Hipp let out a yawn, she was getting tired. She needed to sleep, but she needed to stay alert. There had to be a room where she could hold up for the night, someplace where she could keep a low profile. Also important, she wondered if there was food anywhere. Hipp gripped her belly, she never been this hungry before. She felt she could eat a whole cake with one gulp. The Audino licked her lips. She loved cake, and ice cream, but Nurse Joy won't serve it in the Pokémon Center, "Not made for your biology" was all she would say.

So far she hadn't found any signs of blood or vandalism, nothing that points to a Walker or a human. Hipp didn't dare switch a light on, lighting this place up like a Christmas tree would bring unwanted attention. Maybe even Walkers. She shivered from the thought. Hipp wandered past the cubicles into a hallway where she found a door labeled "LOUNGE," marked in big block letters. She opened the door and peaked inside. Just a usual resting area for offices. There was a refrigerator, two vending machines, a sink, and a microwave. Hipp peaked behind her to see if anyone was following before stepping inside. She locked the door behind her and jammed a chair under the door knob, then pushed an imitation plant in front of the door. That would hold for the night, it wasn't like there was a horde was on her tail...

Hipp licked her lips and turned to the vending machines, one dispense soft drinks, the other just convenience food. Both machine were lit up, ready to serve anyone who wants their products. Hipp found a nearby videophone, she pulled up a chair to get a boost and pressed the on button. The words, "NO SIGNAL!" appeared on the screen.

_Communication breakdown_, Hipp thought, _I'm truly on my own._

Hipp turned to the fridge, blue words and buttons lit up its drink dispenser. She opened a few cabinets and found a glass cup. Hipp stuck it in the dispenser and a stream of water came out, _So far, so good_.

She drank the water, it tasted fresher than ever. Hipp wondered how long would the power and water supply would stay online. Just to be sure, Hipp plugged the drain in the sink and turned on the water. She filled it up to the brim and shut it off, that would last her a while in case someone shuts off the water. Hipp opened up the fridge, bright light from the fridge's bulb almost blinded her. She managed to get a glimpse inside. Several cans of soft drinks, a liter of chocolate milk, and a loaf of bread. Hipp grabbed the bread and shut the fridge, she opened it up and stuffed several slices into her mouth. The bread was a little stale, but it was the best thing Hipp ever tasted. She was ravenously hungry.

After eating several slices, she stuck the bread back and crept up to the couch. She placed her hand on it. The couch was softer than the Pokémon Center beds, Hipp relaxed as she laid down. She listened to the hum of the air conditioner and the bulky appliances in the room. No screams, no moans, just the hum of human civilization.

_Alone, _she thought, _I'm all alone._

Hipp laid in the darkness till her mind went blank. Her anxiety kept her brain hovering between sleep and consciousness, just in case someone tried to barge open that door. When she heard a sharp sound, she snapped herself awake and listened for a few minutes. Convinced it was nothing, Hipp tuned down and drifted back to her dreamless sleep.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_VI_

_Hour 13 of the Zombie Outbreak..._

_ "Is that everything?" _Petri asked.

Aorta hand Petri and Hipp a medical backpack, _"A little bit of everything is in there, IV's, herbs, you name it."_

_ "Okay," _said Hipp, _"Anyone know the fastest way out of Nimbasa City?"_

_ "There are three routes connecting Nimbasa City to the rest of Unova," _Petri explained, _"those routes are going to be jammed, so we're going to bushwhack out of the city. Since none of the routes are either going north or south, Femur made a good choice going there."_

_ "I wonder how the wild Pokémon are handling this," _said Sternum, _"surely this would spill out of the city."_

_ "Could take weeks," _said Hipp, _"By then, we would be all settled into a safehouse."_

Petri turned to Tryke, _"Everything locked up tight?"_

Tryke nodded.

Before the Audinos left, they all took off their nurse caps. No need to wear them now. They all sat them in their bedroom in a pile, then Petri shouted, _"Okay, let's go guys!"_

The Audinos sneaked out the backdoor and locked it behind them. When they got outside, the attack siren was going off. Fireballs and explosions bloomed in the distance. Trainers shout out commands to their Pokémon, the Pokémon shout and sprout up powerful moves that could be felt from a hundred meters away. Things were getting intense, it doesn't sound like Officer Jenny had things under control.

Hipp looked up and saw the Ferris wheel in the distance, huge plumes of smoke rise up next to it along with several fires. Just three days before she rode the Ferris wheel with Petri while taking their day off. It was very romantic when they got to the top, the beauty of the sunset with the bridge in the background made it even better. They held each others hands and savor the moment with a kiss. Sadly that's now ancient history.

The Audinos took a shortcut through an alley. They jogged in a line, covering a lot of ground. Hipp occasionally looked back to check if Tryke was behind her, sure enough the quiet Audino was there. Keeping pace. She turned back towards the front, Sternum was muttering to himself while Petri and Aorta focused onward. They didn't look back once.

Without warning, a back door burst open. A Patrat with a gouged out stomach lurched out, its eyes glowed madly red as it growled alien noises. Before the group could react, the Undead Patrat tackled Sternum to the ground. He screamed as the thing bit him on the shoulder, Hipp watched in horror as the Patrat ripped a chunk of flesh out of Sternum. Blood sprayed everywhere as the Audino screamed with a high-pitched voice, _"AHH! Get him off! Get him off!"_

Tryke rushed up and grabbed a nearby trash can lid, Aorta pulled the Undead Patrat off and shoved it back as Tryke smashed the trash can lid into its skull. He kept slamming the lid on the Patrat's head till it was nothing but pulverized mush.

_"Sternum!" _cried Aorta.

Tryke tossed aside the lid and the entire group converge on Sternum, _"He bit me," _he cried, _"The Patrat bit me!"_

Sternum shed tears as Aorta offered him her shoulder, _"Come on," _she said, _"let's get you to somewhere safe!"_

_ "Guys," _said Petri, _"we got company."_

The group turned back to where they came, a horde of Walkers started wondering into the alley. Their sulking gaits and rotted skin made them horrifying enough, but the red eyes . . . it was like they can turn people and Pokémon to stone. They moaned and stuck out their arms, staggering towards them while taking their time. The Walkers were slow, which gave the group more than enough time to react.

_"Run!" _cried Hipp.

The Audinos screamed as they ran, Sternum struggled to keep pressure on the bite. The bleeding was so bad that he was leaving a blood trail behind him, Hipp and Tryke had to run over it...

_"Keep moving," _Petri told the group, _"or we'll be Biter food!"_

Aorta gave Sternum a boost and pushed him on, the group ran out into the street and passed by a grizzly scene. Several Walkers feast happily on a human being, they ripped out limbs and organs from the body and bit into it like it was food from a buffet. It was hard to tell if the body was from a man or a woman, the Walkers stripped out all the meat from the face and torso. Hipp nearly threw up, she managed to hold her breakfast in as they crossed the street.

_"This is not happening," _Aorta cried, _"This is just a dream!"_

_ "This ain't a dream," _Sternum cried, _"The pain feels too real!"_

_ "Just hang in there Sternum, we'll get you help!"_

Sternum shot a look at her, _"We are the help, and we're canned!"_

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_VII_

_Day 3 of the Zombie Outbreak, 3:15AM_

The lounge door burst open with so much force, Hipp screamed as she leaped off the couch. The lights came on, Hipp was momentary blinded when a voice said, _"What in the world!?"_

The Audino's vision cleared to reveal a Scrafty, holding a red crowbar tight in his hands. He was just as surprised as she was, at first he held up his crowbar in an act of self-defense, _"Don't eat me!" _Hipp cried as she scooted backwards.

The Scrafty lowered his crowbar and shut the door, _"Whoa whoa whoa," _he spoke with a calm voice, _"Calm down, I'm not Undead!"_

Hipp shivered, she held her hands up in a feeble attempt to protect herself. The Scrafty walked up to her and grabbed her arm, _"Get up," _he says, _"you're not suffering alone."_

_ "Please!" _Hipp whimpered.

The Scrafty raised an eyebrow, his face says recognition, _"Say, are you one of the Audinos from the Pokémon Center?"_

Hipp feverishly nodded.

_"My trainer brought me in to get me treated for my battle injuries, I'm sure you might have remembered me. It was just four months ago."_

Hipp thought for a moment, _"Oh yeah, Aorta was putting gauze over a gash on your arm."_

_ "I still have the scar," _said the Scraggy. He held out his bicep, an 18cm long scar stretched from his elbow to his shoulder, _"May I ask if you were one of the Audinos who were, uh, holding hands with another?"_

Hipp nodded again.

_"Your name's Hipp or Petri?"_

_ "Hipp." _The Audino's voice croaked.

_"My name's Krag, with a K. I lived in one of the apartments you went through to escape the horde. I was watching, I was just about to meet up with you when the fighter jet shot a missile into the building. Did the missile hurt you?"_

_ "No, I'm just shaken up. I . . ."_

Hipps voice drifted off, she felt another sob trying to rise up her throat.

_"Hey hey, easy," _said Krag, he stroke his hand across her cheek, _"I lost people I loved too, who did you lose?"_

_ "Nurse Joy and Sternum are dead," _said Hipp, _"The other Audinos are missing, we got separated earlier this afternoon from a zombie horde. I almost sacrificed myself to save my friends!"_

_ "You're that brave," _said Krag, _"But you ain't going to last that long alone, I'll help you find your friends. Can you tell me where you guys were going?"_

Hipp hesitated, she wasn't sure if this Krag guy was either willing to help her or turn against her. To come to think of it, he would have turned against her as soon as he saw her. Hipp thought about declining his help, but realized he was right. She wouldn't last that long on her own. She had to take the chance. She took a deep breath and answered, _"Another Pokémon Center, just up north in the countryside. We have a friend waiting for us and we don't have much time either. He's going to be gone by noon if we don't show up."_

The Audino rested her head against Krag's shoulder and cried, he patted her on the back and cheered her up, _"I'm sorry I scared you," _the Scrafty said, _"I hadn't expected anyone to take shelter here."_

_ "That's the idea." _Hipp muttered.

Hipp listened to Krag's vital signs, a chill came down her back. The Scrafty's heart was beating hard, and not from anxiety. They were romantic feelings, and _he's _interested.

_Oh crap. _Hipp thought.

He doesn't seem to be a bad person, despite being a Hoodlum Pokémon. Krag was alright, he was just young and single. Probably interested in any girls coming his way. If he expect to get . . . "quality" time with her, then he best change his plans. Hipp realized he must know, or things would get awkward in the long run.

_"What's wrong, Hipp?" _Krag asked.

Hipp stepped back and said, _"Can I tell you a secret, if you promise not to tell my friends. They don't actually know it, though Femur knows."_

Krag shrugged, _"Sure, by all means."_

_ "I'm gay."_

The Scrafty raised an eyebrow, _"You're gay."_

That was no question.

_"Yes."_

_ "Well that," _Krag began, he drifted off for a moment and sighed, _"explains a lot. You were a little too attached to Petri to simply be best friends."_

_ "She's my girlfriend, ever since medical school."_

_ "You kept this a secret with your friends?"_

_ "Femur figured it out, but didn't say anything until our feelings . . . got a little too strong."_

Krag shook his head, _"Why you're telling me this?"_

_ "You're interested, I can tell. It's built into our systems to read Pokémon's vital signs."_

Krag's eyes went big, he was so embarrassed his face went red as a cherry, _"Uh, I'm sorry. I just always liked you guys and-"_

_ "I know, its part of our reputation. Not your fault."_

The room went silent. Krag wandered around the room for a moment, trying to process what he'd just heard. Hipp's eyes stayed locked on him, Krag shook his head and turned back to her, _"Look," _he said, _"I'm not going to judge you by your sexual orientation. I'll help you get out of the city and get to where you're going. I have nothing left but the skin on my back."_

Hipp stared at Krag with glazed eyes, then drifted off towards the fridge, _"Are you hungry?" _Krag asked.

She turned back to Krag and nodded, _"I'm not used to running on an empty belly, I just can't stop thinking about food."_

_ "How are you usually fed at the Pokémon Center?"_

Hipp held her head down, _"We get a big meal three times a day. The food we eat have special additives in it that makes us feel full. That way we focus more on helping patients than eating. There's no salt, cholesterol, fat, or food additives. To the regular Pokémon, it taste terrible. I got so used to eating it that when I tried eating chocolate I spat it out, it tasted so sweet that it made me feel sick to my stomach."_

Hipp and Krag sat down on the couch, they both stared at the wall. Listening to the AC for a moment,

_"What environment do you live in, Hipp?" _Krag asked.

_"A very controlled environment, Nurse Joy control__s__ everything. Our job is our life for we Audinos."_

_ "That system is gone now," _Krag pointed out, _"__if you ever find your girlfriend again, there's a chance you might get swallowed up by the system again. And in an Undead world, survival will be a top priority. Right now, at this minute, you can do whatever you want. Suppose you're in a bunker, overstocked with food and convenience stuff, and you and Petri are the only ones inside. What would be the first thing you guys would do?"_

Hipp looked up, she couldn't figure out an answer to that question, _"I never thought of that before, we kept our relationship a secret for so long that we never considered doing much together!"_

_ "The system held you two back, Hipp. I know the Undead are causing so much destruction, you and Petri still have a chance to capitalize on your relationship. The Walkers don't feel, they don't have opinions. I was born in the wild, I know basic instincts when I see it."_

Hipp turned to Krag, _"What should I do, Krag?"_

_ "Find your girlfriend, and make the best of your lives with each other. Cause in this new world, life expectancy will be dramatically short."_

The lights shut off, the vending machines went dark, and the hum of the air conditioner died. Hipp couldn't see her hand in front of her face, it was pitch black, _"What happened!?" _she cried.

_"Sh*t just got real," _said Krag, _"__W__e should leave right when the sun's peaking over the horizon, I know the quickest way out of the city. You should get some rest, I'll stay up and watch for you."_

Hipp said nothing.

_"Hipp, are you alright?"_

_ "__I'm scared." _she whimpered.

_"Zombie's eyes glow, you know. It would be very difficult for them to hide in a room this dark."_

_ "It's not that."_

_ "Then what is?"_

_ "I'm hungry, and I don't know where to find food."_

Krag groaned, _"There's a vending machine right there, you can just break the glass and get some M&M's."_

_ "I can't stand sweets!"_

Hipp laid on the couch and sobbed, Krag stroke her head to cheer her up, _"Shhh, there there, Hipp. You just gotta get used to eating what you've got, otherwise your going to starve and die. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."_

The Audino grabbed Krag's hand and held it, _"I can't."_

Krag squeezed her hand, _"You wanna feel better?"_

_ "Yes."_

Krag pulled his hand away, Hipp felt him jump off the couch and walk to the other side of the room. She cringed when she heard glass shattering to a thousand pieces. When Krag returned, Hipp felt him drop several candy bars on her back, _"There's more in the vending machine if you want some more."_

Hipp said nothing.

As Krag went to guard the door, Hipp grabbed one of the candy bars and felt it. This candy bar felt like it had peanut butter in it, she remember eating peanut butter in medical school. But that was a lifetime ago. She'd forgotten what it taste like. Hipp gulped as she pulled the wrapper open. She hesitated at first, then gave in and took a bite out of the candy bar. Warm peanut butter and chocolate flavor lit up her taste buds like an electric jolt. With guilt and forbidden pleasure, she ate the candy bar and chucked the wrapper aside.

_"How was it?" _Krag asked.

_"I want more." _Hipp murmured, sounding like she was about to cry.

Krag burst out laughing, Hipp couldn't help but giggle, _"Hipp," _said Krag, _"I wish I knew more Pokémon like you."_

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_VIII_

_Hour 35 of the Zombie Outbreak..._

The Audinos managed to lose the horde and find shelter. They hold themselves up in a small garage. The place was locked, so they broke in through the back and barricaded the door behind them. They spent the night listening to the screams of people and the moans of the Undead. Aorta managed to patch up Sternum's bite, and at first he was doing fine. But by around the end of the first day he developed a fever. It was bad. Sternum was burning up, sweating as he muttered unintelligible ramblings. The Audinos tried their best to ease his suffering, they tried Heal Pulse, a morphine shot, they even tried giving him a revival herb. It broke the fever, but he remained weak and delusional.

Suddenly he passed away, there were no signs of him expiring. He just went to sleep and his system shut down, _"He's dead," _Aorta said, she switched to the other wrist and checked for a pulse. Nothing, _"Sternum's gone."_

_ "It was the bite," _said Petri, _"Those Walkers had fresh bites on them, maybe the bites what kills them. And then..."_

Petri couldn't finished, her voice trailed off as she looked away. It was clear what was going to happen. Tryke shook his head, he sat in a nearby corner and cried to himself. Hipp turned to Aorta and said, _"He'll turn, he's going to become one of those things."_

_ "What should we do!?" _Aorta cried.

Petri turned towards the wall clock, each tick signaled a passing second, _"We gotta make sure he doesn't."_

Big tears trailed down Aorta's face as she went into a hysteria, _"He's our friend!"_

_ "I know, but we can't let him suffer. If he comes back, he's going to attack us. There's no telling when he's going to turn, it might be any second now."_

Hipp thought for a moment, _"How can we stop him from turning?"_

_ "That Walker that bit Nurse Joy, he hit his head on the coffee table. It burst open and he went down instantly. I think we gotta smash his head in, destroy the brain to be exact."_

Everyone went silent.

Hipp took a deep breath and asked, _"What can we use to do it?"_

Nobody saw Tryke slam the fire ax's pick into the back of Sternum's skull, he done it with such speed that the Audinos didn't see him until they heard the sick plop of Sternum's head popping. Everyone gasped, Aorta shot back and cried, _"Tryke!"_

Tryke stood there, the fire ax trembling in his hands. The Audinos stared at him for a long time, when Tryke saw the blood coated fire ax he dropped it in shock, _"What have I done!?"_

He drop to his knees and cried, Hipp rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around him, _"You helped Sternum, Tryke. It's alright."_

Aorta grabbed her ears and pulled hard, _"Why is this all happening!?"_

_ "How is it happening?" _Petri asked.

Hipp let go of Tryke as he wiped away his tears, _"I'm sorry." _he sobbed.

Hipp glanced at Sternum's body, a bloody hole oozed out where his brain and spine meet. She picked up the white blanket and pulled it over him, _"We gotta go guys, the faster we get outta here the better."_

_ "So we're just going to leave Sternum here?" _Aorta asked. They haven't abandoned a friend before, not a dead one either.

_"There's nothing we could do for him now," _said Petri, _"we gotta go, Aorta."_

Aorta hugged Petri and cried, she patted her back as Tryke and Hipp packed up their things, _"Here," _said Tryke, _"I'll carry Sternum's backpack."_

_ "Are you okay, Tryke?" _Hipp asked.

_"I'll be fine once we're outta Nimbasa City."_

That was the last time the Audinos ever heard Tryke speak for the day, he remained silent as the group left the garage and head back out into their crumbling world. Aorta stopped crying and looked up, _"Oh no!"_

The street before them lay devastated, trash cans were kicked and the wind blew garbage all over the place. Several zombies wandered in the distance, they were too far away to be any threat. The Audinos jogged along, continuously looking behind them. They weren't the only ones out here, people and Pokémon alike were struggling against the Walkers. They were desperate and scared as them, they might have injuries that demand medical attention. Since the Audinos were carrying medical supplies in their backpacks and special skills in their heads, they would flock in droves to them to help treat their injuries. Who knows, the demand for their skills were so high there could be a bounty on them. Desperate survivors would hunt them down, risking life and limb to get a hold of them. For the Audinos, hiding those skills were next to impossible. Almost every human being and Pokémon in Nimbasa City probably visited their Pokémon Center an average of once a month. All of Unova was desperate for them.

_And how could we help them_, Hipp thought, _we could barely help ourselves._

_ "Petri?" _Hipp asked.

_"Yeah, Hipp?" _

_"Can we save anyone?"_

_ "This ain't the best time, once we find a place to hold up we could try. We need the space to care for the sick, and we no longer have that space."_

The Audinos crept through another alleyway and got onto another street, about a hundred meters away near the entrance to the metro. Several trainers were calling out whatever Pokémon they have on their person and screamed out commands. Some Pokémon do as their told, but most just stood there, their minds locked up from the horror they were seeing.

_"Can't go that way." _Petri muttered.

Aorta gasped and pointed toward the distance, _"Oh no, an Axew's trapped!"_

An Axew – who strangely had a pink bow on its tail – laid trapped at the entrance of a nearby drug store. The entrance had caved in and trapped the Axew under a twisted girder, the girder pinned its leg, breaking its tibia and exposing the bone. The Tusks Pokémon cried a rainfall of tears as it tried to squirm its way out. But it was no good, the girder showed no sign of budging. The Axew screamed and struggled to craw out of the wreckage, unknowingly causing more harm than good.

The Audinos rushed over to the Axew and got a closer look, Hipp dropped down and held up the Axew's head, _"You're going to be okay, we'll get you outta here."_

_ "My trainer's in there," _the Axew yelped, _"Ow, the pain!"_

Hipp turned to Petri, _"Can we get her outta here!?"_

Petri went over the wreckage, _"It's going to take some time, but I don't know if we could get her out before the Walkers show up."_

_ "Guys," _said Aorta, _"Look!"_

Down the street, the trainers and Pokémon had ran off. Several Walkers gotten a few of them and were munching on their kills, the rest started wandering off towards their direction, _"We can't get her out, guys," _Aorta cried, _"There's too many!"_

Hipp checked the Axew's leg, it was worse than it looks. Not only was the tibia broken, but so was the fibula and femur. The girder had pierced its way through the leg before resting itself on concrete. Hipp cringed. Aorta was right. It was going to take some time, time that they don't have. The Walkers would arrive and the Audinos would be forced to abandon the Axew. She would be zombie chow within seconds. Hipp stared at the Axew's eyes, the hurt and pain she was suffering could never be more prominent. Hipp and her friends swore an oath to help all sick and injured Pokémon in need, she won't let the Walkers say otherwise.

She came up with a conclusion, and she didn't like it. A part of her didn't wanna do it but she felt she was born to help people and Pokémon. Sacrifices must be made,

_"Petri," _said Hipp, _"I'm sorry."_

_ "What for?"_

Hipp gave Petri a big hug, _"I'm going to lead the Walkers away to buy you guys time, we're not going to leave this Axew!"_

_ "Hipp," _cried Petri, _"it's suicide!"_

_ "I'll lose the Walkers and find you guys, we all know where we're going. I'll take a different route out of the city if I have to. Just leave a note on where you're going if you can't wait for me anymore."_

_ "No!"_

_ "Petri, I swore an oath to help Pokémon and you did to. We wouldn't have met if we didn't."_

Petri stared into Hipp's eyes for a brief moment, then said, _"Promise me you won't die."_

_ "I'm not going to, I know we'll all make it."_

The two Audinos made a brief kiss in the mouth, so quick that the others didn't notice it. Hipp then took off her backpack and handed it to Petri, _"Get that Axew outta here."_

Petri nodded, _"Good luck, Hipp."_

Hipp took off towards the horde, she ran up just 10 meters away and screamed, _"Hey, over here!"_

A dozen rotted faces looked up at Hipp, their red eyes glowing madly. The Walkers who were eating their kills took notice and dropped their meat, the horde moved almost in unison towards her. Hipp gulped, some of the faces were familiar. She had treated some of these people herself not too long ago. They were dead, yet they walk...

_"Hipp," _cried Aorta, _"What are you doing!?"_

_ "She's buying us time," _Hipp heard Petri said, _"Let her go, we'll meet up with her once we're out of the city!"_

That was the last time Hipp ever heard Petri that day, she ran away from the group and kept the Walkers trained on her until they were out of sight. She made some noise to draw them in, they picked up the speed. They were clumsy, some tripping over debris and bodies. But they got back up and pressed on. Hipp ran, ran as fast as her legs could take her.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_IX_

_Day 3 of the Zombie Outbreak, 5:30AM_

When she felt something squeeze her shoulder, Hipp gasped awake, _"The sun's coming up," _said Krag, _"It's time to move."_

Hipp pressed her hands against her head, it felt like something jammed a drill bit through her ear and scrambled her brain. The rest of her body felt just as achy. Her chest was sore, her belly grumbling with hunger. Hipp just wanna give in, just quit and meet her maker. The only thing that kept her going was the promise she made to Petri, that she would come back alive.

_"I don't feel so good," _she moaned, _"Everything hurts and I'm feeling hungrier than ever."_

She stared out into the darkness of the lounge, Hipp listened as Krag walked up to the sink and turned the tap on, _"Water's out." _he said.

_"There's some in the sink, I just filled it last night."_

_ "Smart."_

A moment later, Krag gave Hipp a glass of water. She sipped it, the metallic taste felt so refreshing most of the morning bed sores stopped hurting, _"Thank you." _she said almost in a whisper.

_"I'm sorry." _said Krag.

_"About what?"_

_ "For forcing you to eat those sweets."_

Hipp licked her lips, _"I could still taste that chocolate, do we have anymore left?"_

_ "No," _said Krag, _"You ate it all, the whole machine's picked clean. You went all out town on them."_

Hipp's hand drifted across the couch, she felt an empty wrapper of a chocolate bar. There had to be more wrappers somewhere, if there was enough light she would see it. Strange, she couldn't remember eating all those sweets. Maybe all that sugar clouded her brain and pecked her memories raw. Or she was sleepwalking. Quite possible, heavy stress can cause people and Pokémon to sleepwalk.

_"Come on," _said Krag, _"Let's get outta here before the Walkers sniff us out. This room is probably laced with our scent."_

She got up and followed Krag out of the lounge. The cubicle room was lit with faint sunlight from the windows, Hipp peaked out the windows and noticed how dark blue the sky was. It felt eerie with death roaming around outside. One thing that struck Hipp was the lack of artificial light. The street lamps were dead and every window was just as dark. Oh, she remembered now. There was a blackout last night, something cut the power and anything electronic doesn't work. The TV, the videophones, without power they're useless.

The thought sent a shiver down Hipp's spine, she wished this was all just a dream. Just a dream, a particularly bad one.

_"We'll go out the back," _said Krag, _"all the Walkers are focused on the street. If there are any of those things in the alley, they wouldn't be difficult to handle."_

Hipp said nothing, she gave a simple nod and followed Krag out the back. It was an emergency exit, painted bright red and neatly labled. Hipp almost expected it to set off an alarm when Krag pushed it open. Fresh cool air blew through Hipp's fur as they stepped out into the alleyway, everything was dark blue but much more brighter. Hipp's eyes quickly adjusted, and the merciless headache with it, _"That's better," _said Krag, _"Just feeling around in that dark lounge was bad enough, at least I can see again."_

_ "How did you get into the office?" _Hipp asked.

_"This very door."_

When Hipp shut the door, a gentle wind made a soft wail as it blew through the alley. Her heart skipped a beat, she felt a drop of sweat trailing down the back of her neck. Krag noticed Hipp's paranoia and asked, _"Anything wrong?"_

_ "I don't hear anything," _she whispered, _"No screams or moans. Nothing."_

A nearby window shattered, several Walkers let out monstrous roars as if they were rudely awakened from their sleep. Assuming those things ever sleep, _"This is scary!" _Hipp let out a loud whisper.

_"But not as scary as yesterday," _said Krag, _"Think of having the entire city to yourself, the Walkers won't care what you do with it."_

Then Krag added, _"Do you know what's going on?"_

Hipp shrugged, _"I'm in the dark as much as you, but . . . I think I found a clue."_

_ "What clue?"_

_ "I found a kid laying in the middle of the street yesterday, just before I ran into the apartments. Someone stabbed the poor guy to death, he wasn't bit but he came back as a Walker."_

Krag's eyes bulged open, Hipp sensed a sharp drop of confidence, _"You sure he wasn't bit?" _he asked.

_ "I'm a doctor, he bled to death and he wasn't bleeding when he got back up."_

For the first time Hipp saw Krag showed some fear, he gulped and muttered, _"Whatever's causing people and Pokémon to turn into the Undead, we're already infected with it. This just stepped up a level."_

Hipp grabbed her ears and faintly whined, _"Let's get outta here!"_

Krag and Hipp crept down the hallway without saying another word, the Scrafty kept his crowbar held high in case something pops out. When they approach the street, Krap peaked out, _"The road's clear," _he said, _"but I got a feeling we're being watched."_

_ "Is someone watching us?" _Hipp asked.

_"Not yet, but I have no doubt they will if we step out into the street. Our cover would be blown before we even knew it."_

_ "Is there another way around?"_

_ "Well this here's the main road through Nimbasa City, we can detour around but it would take a bit longer to get to the Poké Center," _Krag realized something, _"Oh, there's a drugstore down another alley. Just touching the main road but quite outta the way, you gotta stand next to it to notice it."_

Hipp nodded, _"We need supplies."_

_ "Medical supplies," _Krag added, _"you're good with surgical tools?"_

_ "Yes, I'm trained in their use."_

_ "Okay."_

Hipp followed Krag back down the alley, they detour into another alley that ran parallel to the main road. It was longer than the last one, Hipp felt it was more of a tunnel than a back alley. She constantly glanced back every few seconds, worried that a Walker might follow them. Every time she saw nothing. Hipp sighed, hoping she wasn't losing it. She looked back up and saw Krag constantly looking up at the sky, he too was nervous.

_"So how did you realize you were gay?" _Krag asked.

_"What?" _Hipp asked.

_"You know, how did you find out you were a lesbian?"_

_ "I don't know really, but I think it was when I first met Petri. I saw it in her eyes and she saw it in mine. Medical school was tense, and I had no friends. And finding a boyfriend was just next to impossible."_

_ "You denied it at first?" _

Hipp sighed, _"I did, I didn't realize what was wrong with me until it got to a point where . . . I _realized _I'm in love with Petri. Then everything made sense."_

_ "And you confessed your love." _Krag added, that was no question.

_"Yes, I had her meet with me in the most private place we could find and I confessed. Though it wasn't a surprise, she told me she was gay too. She went through the same feelings as I did, and before I knew it she kissed me."_

Krag spun around and said, _"And what happen next, I could only imagine you too also found creativity."_

Hipp's cheeks blushed red with exposure and embarrassment, _"Please don't go that far!" _she insisted, trying to keep her voice from bouncing off the walls.

_"Tell me, how did you two do it?"_

_ "Krag, please!"_

_ "Come on." _he pressured.

_ "Krag!"_

Krag groaned and spun back around, _"Okay, be that way. I might know of something that might help you and Petri the next time you two have free time with each other. It could be better than your hands anyway."_

Hipp grabbed her ears again and whimpered for a few seconds, then grumbled, _"I'm so mad at you right now."_

_ "I'm not going to be the only one who's going to think of that you know. If you tell your friends about your secret, I would bet my money that they would wonder how you two did _it_. Had you ever thought of that possibility before?"_

Hipp gasped, _"No, I didn't!"_

_ "If Petri told your friends and _how _you guys did it, then you might be already covered for the most part. Just have no shame, Hipp, and be willing to do some things in front of your friends that you wouldn't have done otherwise."_

The duo continued down the alleyway without comment. When they reach the end of the alleyway, Hipp and Krag stuck their head out. The road was barren, nothing but garbage and half-eaten corpses. Hipp felt her belly slip into a knot, all those people killed and eaten by those who were once people, _"Clear," _he said, _"I don't have that watch feeling on this street."_

When Hipp saw the drugstore, she gasped, _"I've been here before, this was where I last saw my friends!"_

It was the drugstore with the caved in entrance. The last time she saw Petri! Hipp rushed over to the entrance, checking to see if they got the Axew out. Sure enough they did, nothing left but dried blood covering the concrete and the girder. Hipp noticed something on the girder. She peered closer and froze, pinned between the girder and concrete was a horribly mangled leg, crudely hacked below the knee. Hipp stepped back and pressed a hand on her belly. She felt sick, _"What's wrong, Hipp?" _Krag asked as he strolled up.

Hipp hunched over and vomit on the concrete. Krag jumped back, nearly dropping his crowbar in the process. All the sweets she ate last night came out with sheer vengeance. After a brief few seconds, the headache was gone and her belly felt a lot better. But her cheeks was rippling with embarrassment, _"Sorry," _she said, _"I . . . uh, we gotta get inside."_

Krag peaked at the amputated leg, _"What happened here, Hipp?"_

Hipp said nothing, she just stared at him with horror-filled eyes.

_"Hipp," _Krag said again, _"What happened here?"_

The Audino softly muttered, _"An Axew was trapped here . . . I think I figured out how my friends got her out."_

_ "Can you hang in there, Hipp?" _Krag asked.

_"Yeah, I can."_

Hipp and Krag circled around and found a back entrance. Krag gave the knob a twist. Locked. So he body slammed the door, Hipp jumped when the door gave off a loud crack. It echoed down the street, traveling who knew how far. Krag caught the door before it slammed, then took Hipp's hand, _"Hurry," _he said, _"those things might hear that."_

Hipp rushed in and Krag shut the door, he pulled an indoor bench up to the door and pressed it against the door, _"That should hold one or two," _he said, _"but not against a horde."_

_ "How much time do we have?" _Hipp asked.

_"Depending on how interested the Walkers are to that noise, or vomit-ridden candy. Even if they don't come, I can tell you that we are not leaving through that door."_

Hipp and Krag tip-toed down the hall towards the inner-part of the store, ready for anything hiding in the shadows. The Audino held her breath and listened for movement, the fur on her back standing up.

A can was kicked across the floor and clattered into the wall, Hipp let out a soft scream, _"Sorry," _said Krag, _"Sorry about that."_

Hipp burst into tears, _"I can't do this!"_

Krag grabbed her shoulder, _"Yes you can, you just have to believe in yourself."_

Hipp sniffled and nodded, _"Okay," _she whispered, _"let's just get this over with."_

As they stepped into the store, they discovered the roof had caved in. A bi-plane to the looks of it had crashed into the roof and took out almost half the store. Burnt debris and destroyed merchandise was scattered across the floor. The plane itself had broke into several pieces. The right wings were still attached, though the left ones had broken off, tossed side to a corner of the room like discarded toys. The nose of the plane caved into the cockpit, the interior was nothing more than charred flakes. Hipp couldn't tell if the pilot's still in the seat, it was too hard to see through the crusted shell of what was once a plane.

_"That explains why the entrance caved in," _said Krag, _"I saw the plane went down, but I didn't know where it crashed."_

Hipp hugged Krag and muttered, _"Whoever was piloting it, had no chance . . . No chance."_

_ "I hope it was fast for 'em," _said Krag, _"And I hope the fuel had evaporated. Smell any gas?"_

_ "No."_

_ "Then we're in the clear, I'm surprise this place didn't burned down."_

Hipp and Krag walked passed the destroyed isles and found the back. The first aid section was still intact and undisturbed. Hanging on the shelf was several green backpacks, Hipp looked closer, she could make out the white cross on the backpack, _"This is it," _said Hipp, _"but we're going to need more."_

_ "I have to ask," _said Krag, _"why is the first aid kits green? Are they usually red?"_

_ "The ISO required all first aid kits to have a white cross over a green background," _said Hipp, _"sometimes companies who make first aid kits make it red with a white cross, which is illegal under the ISO but they can't enforce the rules. So the first aid companies often get away with it."_

Hipp opened up the first aid kit and peered inside, _"Yeah, this has some of the stuff required for a first aid kit, but it isn't complete. There's a lot more needed for one to handle a major disaster, luckily I can find all that stuff in this drugstore."_

Krag looked back at where they came, _"I'll do a quick security sweep, are you sure you'll be alright while you gather everything?"_

_ "I'll holler if something comes up."_

Krag patted Hipp on the shoulder, _"Stay safe, girl."_

The Scrafty went to the back and started rummaging around, Hipp turned back toward the first aid kit. She tried to piece together in her mind what the list was again, it was one of the many things medical school burned into her brain. It didn't take long for her memory to come back. Hipp got to work, she first went over her mental list and checked off what was already in the pre-made first aid kit. Just what she suspected, the kit was incomplete. Some things were missing or there wasn't enough of. Hipp had to make the kit last for three months, maybe even years if she was careful.

She got to work, going through the shelves and pulling out certain items. Hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and saline solutions were a must, along with some rolls of gauze. Bandages, big and small, found their way into the bag. Iodine was vital, Hipp stuck a tiny bottle of it into a pocket in the kit. What else was there? Yes, finger splints. Though made for humans, she could make them work for some Pokémon. Hipp went through the shelves a second time, she found a bottle of multivitamins. That might be essential, maybe worth their weight in gold. The list was near complete, Hipp couldn't find those in the first aid section. Maybe they were in the next isle. The Audino zipped up the bag and started checking other isles that survived the plane crash. There, a box of glow sticks. The list says a kit needs 4 glowsticks. Hipp grabbed 10 instead, grabbing all the yellow and orange and shoving them all into the kit. A packaged emergency blanket laid on the floor, Hipp grabbed it and stuck it into the kit as well. A box of kitchen matches laid on the bottom shelf. Hipp grabbed that too. She and Krag will need to build a fire to cook food and boil water.

_That should be it. _Hipp thought.

Something stirred behind her, Hipp felt the fur on her back stand up. She turned around and screamed.

A Walker had its arms out, stretching to claw a chunk outta her. It looked like a young girl, wearing a partially burnt dress. Hipp couldn't tell what the color was, the dress was so caked in soot that any color it had was lost in the blackness. Her face and arms were burned, parts were charred black, forming a hard crust that looked like dried leather. Her once beautiful brown hair was burnt up, some locks remained on the front of her scalp yet a good part of the back was burned to the roots. Hipp instantly realize she died from the fire caused by the plane crash or the smoke while it was burning, but not from a bite.

Not from any bite!

Hipp screamed as the Walker was on top of her, the Audino grabbed it by the neck as she fell to the floor. The Walker's skin was cold and stiff, feeling definitely like leather. A part of Hipp's brain was paralyzed with horror, unable to process death was literally on her. The Walker snarled and growled an alien moan, the moan contained a hint of the girl who once owned the body. But that was just dead vocal cords stringing tunes, this body had lost the soul and life in it. Whatever's left was hungry, hungry for blood.

Krag was there in seconds, Hipp thrust the Walker off of her as he came around, he took the chisel end of the crowbar and jammed it straight into the Undead girl's left eye. The Walker let out a final moan and went limp. Krag left the crowbar in the Walker and rushed up to Hipp, _"Hipp, you alright!?"_

The Audino tried to speak, but part of her brain was still paralyzed. She could only nod, _"Oh thank Arceus," _Krag said, _"__Did she scratch you?"_

Hipp said nothing.

_"Hipp!"_

Hipp said nothing.

Krag took his hand and slapped Hipp in the cheek, he put just enough force in it that the malfunctioning part of Hipp's brain reestablished. She took a deep breath and blurted, _"She wasn't bitten!"_

_ "Wh__at__?" _Krag asked.

_"The girl you just killed, she wasn't bit! She died of smoke inhalation, from the fire caused by the plane crash!"_

Krag turned back to the body and gave it a quick scan, he saw no obvious bites. The Scrafty's soft eyes shot open, he grabbed the corpse's arms and checked them. Then the legs. No bites. Krag pulled the crowbar out of the girl's eye socket and turned to Hipp, _"We gotta get outta here!"_

_ "Kit's all done," _Hipp said, _"It would last us months."_

_ "Once we're in the clear, we're getting a pathologist. Maybe we'll find someone who has the answers."_

Hipp got up and put the first aid kit on, she and Krag ran up to a broken window. After clearing it of glass, Krag checked for Walkers before helping Hipp through. He then jumped out and ran off into the alleyways. Hipp swore she heard the moans of the Undead picking up behind her, all that noise must have attracted them. She wasn't worried, they don't sound like they found them or anything.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_X_

_Day 3 of the Zombie Outbreak, 10:55AM_

The trip out of Nimbasa City was filled with close calls and surprises. Hipp and Krag had to creep past several hordes who were happily feasting on fresh bodies, the smell of putrid flesh and the sight of a mass feast made Hipp wanna gag. Krag covered her eyes and helped her along some moments, but there were times where it wasn't enough. Hipp accidentally witnessed a Walker bit a chunk out of a dead Snivy outside the fruit market. Mutilated organs pour out of the Snivy's torn abdominal cavity, dropping to the ground in sick bubbly plops. Hipp grabbed Krag's arm, trying not to faint. The Scrafty rushed her out of the area before she could throw up again.

The city wasn't entirely dead. There were other survivors, though they were far from friendly. Several gangs of Pokémon had formed and were raiding nearby stores. They weren't hardened criminal, they were desperate Pokémon needing food and water. Most of the Pokémon looked young, their eyes filled with trauma and tears. One Pokémon, a Joltik, was sitting against the wall, crying a puddle of tears as other Pokémon walked by. Seemingly unaware of the tiny Pokémon's existence. Hipp nearly lost it and almost ran out to them when Krag clamped a hand over her mouth and whispered, _"Focus on Petri, not them. There's nothing you can do for them and you know it."_

Hipp nodded, she kept looking back at the crying Joltik until it was out of sight.

As they reach the edge of Nimbasa City, several humans had held themselves up at a Pokémon lab. The windows were boarded from the inside, and several doors were blocked with dumpsters and public benches. An SOS sign written in red-orange paint draped over the edge of the lap, hinting they needed help. Hipp could make out the lab coats of several scientists huddling on the roof, they stand with their backs straight, keeping a lookout for any Walkers or bandits. Hipp couldn't see any Pokémon, for some reason she had a feeling she didn't want to. Krag had that same feeling and advised to keep moving, they left the survivors alone.

They reached the edge of the city when the sun was fully out. Hipp couldn't help but cry, Krag patted her on the back and told her the worst was behind them, _"Now we walk, but this time you lead the way. You know where the Pokémon Center is, it's up to you now to find it."_

Hipp nodded, _"Thank you for getting me through all that, I __c__ouldn't have done it by myself."_

When she looked back, she saw the familiar skyline of Nimbasa City. Everything looked normal, like nothing really happened. The only signs of the apocalypse were the smoke columns billowing over the city, and the lack of birds...

_Wait, _Hipp thought, _where's the birds?_

She asked Krag if he saw any birds, he shook his head no, _"Is that a bad thing?" _he asked.

_"I don't know," _Hipp said, _"just everything's a little too quiet."_

The duo walked across an open field and made it to a patch of forests. Again, Hipp noted the lack of bird songs. The morning had begun, yet no bird songs. The Audino shut her eyes and listened harder. Nothing. It almost felt she was still in the city.

_"We're officially still in the city," _said Krag, _"once we past the city limit, we should see mor__e __nature than man."_

_ "Those things are out here," _Hipp thought aloud, _"and this time the Walkers are Pokémon . . . _were _Pokémon."_

Krag glance around, nothing but trees and the occasional shrub. They'd gone far enough where the city's out of sight, but the weight of the apocalypse felt stronger than ever. For now, the two were alone.

_"You know that Pokémon actually means Pocket Monster?" _The Scrafty asked.

Hipp nodded, _"Yeah, though nobody uses __that term.__"_

The two suddenly stopped, they both looked at each other in the eye as the wind softly blows through the trees. Despite the wind gusts, the forest was dead. Or at least nothing wanted to make noise, _"Who are the real monsters," _Krag asked, _"us or them?"_

_ "Why do you ask, Krag?"_

_ "Well, Hipp, something had to do how humanity views us Pokémon. I never realized it until I saw my trainer's corpse get torn apart before me, something didn't settle well in my mind and I couldn't figure out what it is. That was what I was thinking moments before I met you._

_ "But now," _Krag added, _"I figured it out. Our trainers and your Nurse Joy held us back, held us back for their own purposes. They didn't really mean it, they fed and took care of us but they never really let us pursue our own interests. All my life I felt humanity's presence over my shoulder, my trainer controlled me with a firm hand. He wasn't harsh or anything but now," _his voice trailed off for a second, _"Now I __wonder if I __even like him."_

Hipp blinked, not sure what to make of everything. Then she started making the mental connections, _"Nurse Joy was very strict, kept us on a tight schedule. I never thought about it, and never question it."_

_ "Now you're free, free from their codes and stumbling around. Once we find your friends, then what? What are we going to do? Do we even _know _what to do? Now I'm not talking about survival against the Undead, but on personal free-time. Are we going to sit around and watch reruns of Pokémon shows on the TV or work in improving our lives?"_

The forest went silent, Hipp listened to her own breathing as she looked up at the sky. She only knew the world from TV, medical school, and the stories from trainers who come and go. But not the outside world, she never left Unova, and barely left Nimbasa City. All she done day in and day out was maintain the city's Pokémon Center and treat injured Pokémon as they come in. She loved her job, dedicated every centimeter of her life to it. Had the Pokémon breeders made _her _love her job? Dumped her into medical school and expected to help Pokémon? But was she helping Pokémon, or humanity?

_"You okay, Hipp?" _Krag asked.

Hipp nodded, _"I'm fine, I just never thought of it that way before..."_

_ "__I wonder what the Nurse Joy would do at that other Pokémon Center," _said Krag, _"assuming it's still functional. Would you let her take you back into the system or you and Petri go out and do independent practice. You can do that you know, be a mobile Pokémon Center. You could make a living out of the zombie apocalypse."_

Hipp shrugged, _"I'm not sure, maybe there won't be anybody to treat. And besides, my skills are too precious. Me and Petri won't last long out here."_

Hipp jumped when a loud mournful wail echoed across the forest, Krag raised his crowbar, _"Those things _are_ out here," _he said, _"we gotta keep moving."_

The Audino said nothing.

_"Hipp?"_

Hipp said nothing, her limbs petrified with shock.

_"Hipp, please. It ain't safe out here."_

She glanced at Krag and nodded, he took her by the hand and she walked by his side. They continued heading north, Hipp peeked back every few seconds, wondering if something was following them. Whatever made that scream, it sounded like a Pokémon. No doubt Undead. If there were any Walkers out here, there weren't as much compared to Nimbasa City. There could be lone Walkers, maybe small hordes. So far Hipp hadn't seen any signs of a mass group, she hadn't seen any signs of her friends either. Had they made it through here? If so, were they already at that other Pokémon Center? No way of telling. Maybe they covered their tracks, which was smart, because something else might follow them. And since they were doctors...

Hipp adjusted the first aid kit, the straps snug tightly to her shoulders. Its feeling gave her a sense of insurance, like having a mobile Pokémon Center on her back. If she could get a hold of surgical tools, she might treat more severe injuries such as broken bones. Lacerations can be stitched, but broken bones must be mended and fixed with splints and casts. Damage to the skeleton could be a death sentence without medical attention, even if the wound's treated that person must be protected and cared for. Which costs time and manpower to daily activities. Hipp wondered what would happen if she broke her leg from the collapsing apartment. She would still be in the city right now, probably a slim chance of even meeting Krag. The thought sent chills down her spine.

_"Are we almost there?" _Krag asked.

_"Just another 200 meters." _said Hipp.

_"Hipp, do Walkers feel pain?"_

_ "I don't think so, that girl you put down . . . she didn't feel anything."_

_ "I don't think that was a girl anymore, just a mindless husk of one."_

_ "There's one thing I have no doubt of."_

_ "What's that?"_

_ "We turn into one of those things no matter how we die, and that's what's got me scared. What if one of my friends got sick from a bad bug and dies, would he..."_

_ "We definitely need a pathologist," _Krag told the sky, _"and a neuroscientist. Somebody to answer some of our questions."_

Hipp shrugged,_ "__I don't think answers are going to help us."_

A moment of silence.

_"Well," _said Krag, _"at least they'll provide some comfort."_

Minutes of silence went by, Hipp almost drifted off-balance every time she dosed off. Krag had to jolt her to get her back on track. She took a deep breath and looked back for the gazillionth time. Still nothing creeping up behind them. Good. Hopefully it would stay that way.

_"I think I see something." _said Krag.

Hipp looked up, a tan and white building loomed over the trees. When they got closer, Hipp saw what it was. It was the Pokémon Center Femur talked about. The windows were boarded on the outside. Hipp approached the window, black trash bags were taped over it. She couldn't see anything inside, _"This place is barricaded," _said Krag, _"meaning someone's home."_

She approached the entrance, the shutters were down and locked. Hipp pounded on the shutters, _"Hello," _she called out, _"Anybody there?"_

No response.

Krag touch her shoulder, _"We gotta get up to the roof," _he whispered, _"they're not going to open this shutter for anybody."_

Hipp nodded, _"I think there's a ladder in the back, if there is then it should be built into the wall. Standard requirement for Pokémon Center construction, well, for newer ones..."_

The two walked around back, a ladder of iron bars was built into the concrete near the back door. The back door, too, was boarded from the outside, no way going through there either. Hipp and Krag climbed up the ladder, they got to the roof and found the roof access door wasn't boarded. But was it unlocked? Hipp turned the knob, nope.

_"Let me try." _said Krag.

Hipp stepped back and watched Krag do his handy work. He lift up his crowbar and jammed the chisel end between the door and the frame, he wiggled it around in there for a moment and withdraw, _"Well that's not going to work." _said Krag.

_"Kick it down?" _

_"You betcha."_

Krag's jumped back and braced himself. He leaped up into the air and his foot glowed white, thrusting all his energy right into the door with a mighty kick. The metal door burst open, it swung open and slammed into the wall with a mighty thud. Krag bounced back and observe his handiwork, _"If anyone's inside, they'll hear that."_

He stepped up towards the door and called down the stairwell, _"Hello, anybody in there!? We're not dead!"_

_ "Cut it out, Krag!" _Hipp insisted.

Krag snickered, _"Like something's going to pop out and eat us?"_

Hipp walked up to the stairwell, her sensitive ears picked up nothing from below. She turned to Krag, her eyes wide open. Krag nodded and raised his crowbar. He started down the stairs, tip-toeing to prevent his footsteps from echoing. Hipp followed behind, her body shaking down to her tail. When they reach the bottom steps, a dark hallway loomed before them. Hipp tried turning on the lights, nothing. Power's out. She huddled close to Krag, holding her breath while listening for suspicious noises. The place was dead. It felt dead. The backup generators weren't running and nothing was stirring. Like a suspense horror movie, Hipp was on edge. The world outside was in chaos, yet in here, everything was still. This place was shutdown and barricaded, yet so far, no survivors. Where were they? Were they hiding somewhere?

When the two reached the lobby, they got a horrific scene. In the middle of the room, a dead Nurse Joy laid on the floor. A rope tied around her neck. On top of her looked like an Audino, it was tearing out the nurse's organs and . . . _eating _them!? Hipp looked up at the ceiling, a bit of rope hang from a water pipe. She realized what happened. The Nurse Joy hanged herself, when she died her already dead Audino took her down and feast on her morsel. She stared at the Walker, looking for any signs on how it turned. Her right bicep was neatly wrapped with gauze, soaked with black blood. The Undead Audino snarled and grumbled monstrous noises as it tore out the liver and intestines, stuffing its bloody face with gore.

_Oh no, _Hipp thought, _it got bit and died and the Nurse Joy-_

Krag let out an ear-piercing whistle, the Walker turned and looked at the two. The Audino's eyes shined evil red, its mouth dripping with fresh blood. Hipp tried to scream, but it got caught in her throat. She tried to run away, but her legs were frozen.

Before the Walker got up, Krag was on it in a second. He knocked the Walker on its back with a Low Kick, then started smashing its skull in with the crowbar. Black blood splatter all over the ceiling and floor as the Walker gurgled to death. Hipp pressed her back to the wall, grabbing her face as she watched Krag repeatedly smash the face in till it didn't look like an Audino. It looked more like a headless thing with two curling antennas out of a red blob. Krag then smashed in the Nurse Joy's head, just to be sure she won't turn.

_The poor Audino,_ Hipp thought, _the poor Nurse Joy. They're tainted, tainted! Nothing but Undeath!_

Hipp's eyes were stuck wide open, she felt her blood turn to ice, then drain out of her head. She felt cold and disoriented, the world was consuming her. Hipp felt her energy got zapped away and she collapsed to the floor, staring at the ceiling as Krag finished up.

_"That about done it," _he said, _"Hipp, are you alright?"_

He turned around and saw Hipp laying on the floor, Krag dropped the crowbar and rushed to her, _"Oh no, Hipp!" _he cried.

Krag got to his knees and held up Hipp's head, _"Hipp, speak to me!"_

Hipp just stared at Krag, she tried to speak but part of her brain had shut down. She couldn't move either, her muscles were paralyzed. All she could do was stare at Krag as he sat helpless before her, _"Please," _the Scrafty pleaded, tears forming in his eyes, _"Please don't do this."_

That was the last thing she heard when the world closed in on her.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, this story was made for non-profit use only.**

**INFO: Go to my Pokémon forum or my FanFiction profile for updates on my Pokémon stories.**

_XI_

Hipp's eyes fluttered open, she groaned, she never felt so tired before in her entire life. She tried to remember what happened, the image of Krag beating a Walker's head open briefly came to mind, then fading away like it never happened. It sent chills down her spine, but for some reason she didn't feel scared.

Hipp found herself sitting on a bed, it had fresh white sheets and a light blue comforter. The Audino sat up and looked around the room. The walls and ceiling were painted white, a poster of a Pikachu adorned the back wall. The floors were wood, red cherry color, or something red-orange. The furniture was neatly polished. Quite modern, maybe a few years old. Several books lay on the dresser. Hipp glanced closely. They looked kinda like the books she read in medical school, which was a life time ago. She couldn't remember what those books were. She glanced out a window, bright sunlight shined through, revealing a beautiful morning outside, like everything was normal.

Hipp licked her lips, they were cracked, and her tongue was drier than beef jerky.

_Thirsty._

Hipp turned towards the nightstand. A weather station clock sat underneath a gray lamp shade, her eyes shot open when she saw the date, _I was out for a week!? _

And it was just starting to feel like she woke up from the nightmare and into a peaceful dream. Hipp sighed, at least she was out of the horror for now. She turned and noticed a water bottle sitting next to the weather clock, never before opened. Hipp licked her lips and grabbed it, she popped it open and drank half of it. Though it was warm, it tasted wonderfully. Hipp sat it down and wiped her lips with her wrist, then sat the bottle back on the nightstand.

Someone knocked on the door, Hipp jumped. Another Audino came walking through, it looked depressed, like it lost something. That sadness changed to joy when it looked up, Hipp recognized the eyes.

_"Petri!"_

_ "Hipp," _Petri cried, _"you're awake!"_

Petri rushed up and hugged Hipp, both Audinos cried with tears of joy, _"I was scared," _said Petri, _"I thought you wouldn't wake up!"_

_ "What happened?" _Hipp asked.

_"We found you with a Scrafty at the Pokémon Center. He was panicking, saying you past out from freight. Turns out you got to the Pokémon Center before us."_

_ "Where's Krag?" _Hipp asked, _"__The Scrafty, I mean."_

_"He's downstairs. Hold on, I'll go get the gang."_

Petri left for a brief moment and came back with the others. Tryke stood near the door as Aorta and Femur came forward. Krag walked in beside them. Tryke helped the Axew along. Hipp winced when she saw what was left of its leg, she couldn't imagine what pain it went through to get it amputated, _"I thought you were done for," _said Krag, _"guess I was wrong."_

_ "Krag," _said Hipp, _"what happened?"_

_ "You passed out, you couldn't take the horror from me putting down that Walker. I was just going to set up shop and wait till you come to when your friends arrived, after I told them what happened we found a note that said your buddy Femur had taken shelter at a nearby farm. I carried you part of the way, and so did Petri. We made it here with Femur sitting at the porch."_

_ "The place was abandoned when I got here," _said Femur, _"The Pokémon Center wa__s overrunned before I got there__, I should ha__ve__ made the note more bigger __and posted it on the front__. At least you made it, I thought we would lose you. Sometimes people and Pokémon alike die in __shock__-induced comas."_

Aorta came forward and looked Hipp in the eyes, she hesitated and gulped, _"I can't believe you and Petri are gay."_

It sounded more like disbelief than anger, Hipp turned to Petri in shock. She sat her hand on her shoulder, _"I told Aorta and Tryke everything, luckily you saved us the trouble by telling Krag."_

_ "It really derailed my common sense," _he said, _"you should've seen the look on their faces when Petri told them."_

_ "I'm sorry," _said Aorta, _"I mean, you should have told us earlier! I've . . . all that..."_

Tryke just stood there, his eyes wide with embarrassment. Hipp wondered why the Audino never talks, except that moment when he made sure Sternum didn't come back. As far as she could tell, he was more unusual than she was.

_"Why did you two hide it from us!?" _Aorta asked Hipp and Petri.

_"We didn't want a burden on our Pokémon Center," _Hipp insisted, _"our work is more important than our sexual orientation!"_

Aorta sighed, _"Well, it would've been better if you told us earlier. It would've saved us all the trouble!"_

_ "Aorta." _Petri groaned.

_"Look, I'm not mad that you two are gay. I'm mad that you've lied to us since we met, lied to all of us! We trusted you, now I'm wondering if you two are hiding something else. Like what you two do behind our backs!"_

_ "Aorta," _said Femur, _"enough."_

Aorta stared at her hands for a moment, then glanced at Hipp. She rushed over and gave Hipp and Petri a hug, _"At least you've been the bestest friends we ever had, you risked your life to save the Axew. You've been there for us for all this time, I'm still proud to be your friend."_

_ "Thank you, Hipp" _said the Axew, _"I wouldn't have made it. But my trainer..."_

Hipp glanced at Krag, he just sighed, _"I didn't tell her anything."_

She turned back to the Axew, _"I'm sorry, she didn't make it."_

_ "You sure?" _Axew asked.

_"She died from smoke inhalation, but she came back. Krag made sure she wouldn't suffer."_

Axew shook her head and sobbed, _"Thank you for telling me."_

Aorta released her hug and stared at Hipp and Petri for a moment, her eyes ready to release a waterfall of tears, _"I'm sorry you suffered in silence, Sternum would understand and so would Nurse Joy."_

The room went silent, nothing but the hum of the air conditioner.

_"What went on in the world while I was out?" _Hipp asked.

_"Unova fell," _said Krag, _"All the major cities are either overrunned or abandoned, the military tried to retake Nimbasa City but failed miserably. Right now, several large groups had formed and are struggling to hold onto some of the smaller towns. Things had cooled down in the countryside, but some cities are still hot. And that's just in Unova. I'm not sure what's happening in the other parts of the world."_

_ "For us," _said Femur, _"We're doing fine. We just got a generator running the farm and a garden set up, we're also trying to build a wall around this place to keep some Walkers out."_

_ "I got a good part of it done," _said Krag, _"but there's a lot more to go, be great if we have extra hands."_

_ "We'll get to it soon," _said Aorta, _"Um Axew, can you please come help me with the garden?"_

_ "Sure," _said Axew, _"I'll help. Tryke, can you carry me along?"_

Tryke nodded and repositioned the Axew, as they left the room Krag and Aorta left next. Teh Scrafty glanced back for a second before disappearing from sight. Just Femur and Petri remained, _"How you're feeling, Hipp?" _Petri asked.

_"Tired," _she said, _"I just don't have the energy to do anything right now."_

_ "Get some rest," _said Femur, _"We got a big day tomorrow, those Walkers would start coming in and we barely have any defenses up. For the time being, we're safe. Get plenty of rest, you need it."_

Femur walked out of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Hipp and Petri alone. Hipp turned to Petri and asked, _"Now what?"_

_ "Well," _she said, _"we are alone..."_

Petri's voice trailed off for a moment, then she added, _"How's your back and everything?"_

_ "Stiff," _said Hipp, _"I was carrying a first aid kit I scrounge up, where is it?"_

_ "Downstairs, I think we got enough medical supplies to last us for a while. Here, just relax and lie down on your belly."_

Hipp laid down and rested her chin on her pillow, Petri got up on the bed and cracked her fingers. She grabbed Hipp's shoulder blades and pulled up the muscles, the Audino relaxed as she felt the tension in the muscles release, _"Ah, yes," _she said, _"I needed that."_

_ "You poor thing." _said Petri.

_"Go lower, around the middle. That's where the most of the ache is."_

Petri went lower, Hipp's back tingled as the muscles loosen up. Even after a week away from the Pokémon Center, Petri hadn't lost her touch. Literally. She flexed and soothed her back muscles with such dexterity that most of Hipp's worries fade away. Though there was one that remained, one she can't ignore: What was going to happen to the world once the Undead took most of everything? Will there be any outside sources they could trust?

_Skills, _Hipp thought, _we have special skills that everyone needs..._

Normally that would send a shiver down her back, but Petri was there, helping her relax. Hipp decided that she would worry about it later, she needed to rest.

**THE END!**


End file.
